It seems unfortunate that this thread has strayed so far from the OP which was about James Low and his teachings. Thanks so much to Astus for posting about him. I have been reading his talks and feel I have benefited greatly. Thanks again.

I am well aware of my idiocy. I am also very aware that you too are an idiot. Therein lies our mutuality.

I like it - he really is very good at explaining the Dzogchen view in a straightforward way.

Look at the unfathomable spinelessness of man: all the means he's been given to stay alert he uses, in the end, to ornament his sleep. – Rene Daumalthe modern mind has become so limited and single-visioned that it has lost touch with normal perception - John Michell

I like it - he really is very good at explaining the Dzogchen view in a straightforward way.

It's really really basic though, and he still gives credence to dualities of self and other even though he's trying to show the emptiness of the subjective-self, he basically tries to convey that our own views of ourselves is based on external situations and interactions. He even said were pretty much energy going out and energy coming in, which is a wrong view and suggests coming and going and in and out and all sorts of dualities. If dzogchen is being applied correctly there are absolutely no dualities at all. I only read the transcript though so perhaps this isn't his best talk for all I know. It's akin to the tip of the iceberg in dzogchen though I'd say.

He spends an awful lot of time discussing the self to really be attempting to successfully convey the emptiness of the self. But it is important to do self-work(purification) in the beginning for some, I know I had to, in order to dispel some habitual tendencies. So to each their own.

asunthatneversets wrote:If dzogchen is being applied correctly there are absolutely no dualities at all. I only read the transcript though so perhaps this isn't his best talk for all I know. It's akin to the tip of the iceberg in dzogchen though I'd say.

Personally, I think all those aspects of teaching are certainly in there, but he often seems to talk on multiple levels - something I've seen many teachers do.

Look at the unfathomable spinelessness of man: all the means he's been given to stay alert he uses, in the end, to ornament his sleep. – Rene Daumalthe modern mind has become so limited and single-visioned that it has lost touch with normal perception - John Michell

Indeed, it is his straightforward manner of teaching that grabbed me in the first place. It is difficult to find teachers who don't just repeat the common terminology all the time. Perhaps it is also an advantage that he can teach directly in his native tongue, thus breaking down those cultural and linguistic difficulties.

1Myriad dharmas are only mind. Mind is unobtainable. What is there to seek?2If the Buddha-Nature is seen,there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.3Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.4With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,the six paramitas and myriad meansare complete within that essence.

Astus wrote:Indeed, it is his straightforward manner of teaching that grabbed me in the first place. It is difficult to find teachers who don't just repeat the common terminology all the time. Perhaps it is also an advantage that he can teach directly in his native tongue, thus breaking down those cultural and linguistic difficulties.

Agreed, I think any nondual teaching can be a great supplement to ones understanding and some teachers are definitely more clear than others. There might be an aspect of Buddhist teachings whether dzogchen, mahamudra etc that could seem unclear that can all of a sudden click by hearing someone put it a different way. Using the teachings as a tool and being able to implement various tools for the job is key, in my eyes.

I took bits and pieces of everything they say and found the correlations within buddhism and dzogchen and the traditional texts and teachings and then came at it from the position of Buddhism and dzogchen in the sense of what does it say about what these other teachers are saying.. How does it critique their views.. Do they mesh... What works.. What doesn't work. And it's helped my view and experience tremendously.

It's wild, even so called "advaita" teachers like nisargadatta for example; his advice for practice is the exact same as the dzogchen method of being present at all times. He just uses different terms like "staying in the I AM" and he says forget Brahman and all that, it's useless.

asunthatneversets wrote:... He just uses different terms like "staying in the I AM" ...

It does not sound very dzogchen ...

Sönam

By understanding everything you perceive from the perspective of the view, you are freed from the constraints of philosophical beliefs.By understanding that any and all mental activity is meditation, you are freed from arbitrary divisions between formal sessions and postmeditation activity.- Longchen Rabjam -

asunthatneversets wrote:... He just uses different terms like "staying in the I AM" ...

It does not sound very dzogchen ...

Sönam

Agreed. Not very dzogchen at all.

Perhaps not, I just mean the reference to remaining present. But you're right it isn't a dzogchen teaching but that's where I was saying take bits and pieces and see the correlations. Discard of the rest. Nevertheless I'm all for traditional dzogchen texts and teachings they hold their own undoubtably.

I'm bumping this thread because I'm interested in a few different aspects of it. one of them concerns the content of the teaching as it has been transmitted. To what extent does Low's current teaching activity represent that of his esteemed teacher, CR Lama? If there are differences, of what kind or nature are they? (Certain posts in this thread suggest Mr Low has departed from tradition generally in his presentation of Dzogchen, hence my question.)

We know that Low was involved with many translation projects and has advocated particular kinds of sadhana practice (the chod practice linked below is one example)...

Hi Jikan. Just for your reference, the above is just the Chod practice from the Longchen Nyingthig cycle of Jigme lingpa, with some additional prayers connected to the monastery and lineage. It is one of the most popular Chod sadhanas currently practiced in the Nyingma tradition, if not the most popular. It is totally mainstream, just the translation is a little weird.

smcj wrote:Forgive my ignorance and laziness as it is probably already in the thread somewhere, but who is "CR Lama"?

Chime Rigdzin Rinpoche, a terton and a very interesting and powerful teacher, who passed away about 10 years ago. He was totally legitimate, although his style was not to everyones' taste. He was a special one.

Yes, Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche has authorized both him and Gudrun Knausenberger to teach and to give initiations, I've heard him say that about two dozen times and hundreds of others will be able to confirm that.

"Forget about being clever, and simply remain." Guru Rinpoche, Treasures from Juniper Ridge